Korea prospective

Dear Editor,

Recently, Carla Sapp, who is in charge of medical records at El Dorado Manor in Trenton returned from visiting her son in Japan. He is stationed there with the U.S. Navy.

She gave me an unusual souvenir, a Korean newspaper that she bought during her visit. It was the Late City Edition of the Korean Herald, published Aug. 17, 2017.

I compared some of the news items in it to a story in the Gazette, published in McCook on Aug. 23, 2017. North Korea’s state media had published photos that showed one and possibly two new missiles that had been developed.

The Korean Herald is published in South Korea and was established in 1953. Except for a few ads, it is in English.

As I read it, I reflected on memories that I have of my second cousin, Spencer J. Palmer. He was born in Eden, Ariz., Oct. 4, 1927, and passed away a few days after Thanksgiving in 2000.

Spencer had spent the better part of 35 years educating BYU students and others about the culture and beliefs of people of other nations. He was a highly respected scholar and had lived in South Korea nine years.

He had learned the Korean language. He co-authored several books on world religions.

In 1993, he was asked by the Chinese government to serve as a comparative religion professor for ethnic minority groups in Beijing, China. Chinese friends helped him with language barriers.

I was fortunate to fly to Salt Lake City and to travel to Provo, Utah, so that I could visit with him and his wife, Shirley, shortly before his death in 2000. It was a great experience.

If Spencer Palmer were alive in 2017, he would probably have lots to say about North Korea and its long-range missiles.

On page three of the Korea Herald, there is a story by Jung Min-Jung stating that the U.S. is open to a dialogue with North Korea. Our secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, said Pyongyang had delayed a decision to target Guam, an American-protected military installation. I wonder what Spencer would say about that.

Meanwhile, Jim Jong Un is delaying missile strikes against Guam for the time being.

Spencer Palmer’s interest in South Korea and Asia began when he was an army chaplain during the Korean War and was assigned to help at a P.O.W. camp at Kojo Island.